Milwaukee, Wisconsin

"Milwaukee" redirects here. There is also Milwaukee, North Carolina. Milwaukee is the largest city in the state of Wisconsin, United States and the county seat of Milwaukee County. The city's population is 596,974 with a total of 1,500,741 in the consolidated metropolitan area (2000). The city is located in the southeastern portion of the state on the western shore of Lake Michigan.

Table of contents

1 History 2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 Climate 5 Major Industries 6 Places of Interest 7 Airports 8 Colleges and Universities 9 Sports 10 Newspapers 11 Neighborhoods 12 Interstates 13 Notable denizens

History

\n

\n
Picturesque Milwaukee\n
Famous sites, 1880s\n

\nThe Milwaukee area was originally inhabited by the Fox, Mascouten, Potawatomi, and Winnebago Indian tribes. Milwaukee received its name from the Indian word Millioke which is thought to have meant "The Good Land", or "gathering place by the water". French missionaries and traders passed through the area in the late 1600s and 1700s. In 1818, Frenchman Solomon Juneau settled in the area. Juneau bought out his father-in-law's trading business, and in 1833 he founded a town on the east side of the Milwaukee River. In 1846, Juneau's town combined with neighboring rival towns (Kilbourn Town and Walker's Point) to incorporate the city of Milwaukee. Juneau was Milwaukee's first mayor. German immigrants helped increase the city's population during the 1840s and the following decades. Milwaukee still today has a large German-American population. The liberal tradition of these peoples led to decades of socialist government in Milwaukee during the 1800s and 1900s.

Geography

\nAccording to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 251.0 km² (96.9 square miles). 248.8 km² (96.1 square miles) of it is land and 2.2 km² (0.9 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.88% water.

Demographics

\nAs of the census¹ of 2000, there are 596,974 people, 232,188 households, and 135,133 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,399.5/km² (6,214.3 per square mile). There are 249,225 housing units at an average density of 1,001.7/km² (2,594.4 per square mile). The racial makeup of the city is 49.98% White, 37.34% African American, 0.87% Native American, 2.94% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 6.10% from other races, and 2.71% from two or more races. 12.00% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 232,188 households out of which 30.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.2% are married couples living together, 21.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 41.8% are non-families. 33.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.50 and the average family size is 3.25. In the city the population is spread out with 28.6% under the age of 18, 12.2% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100 females there are 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 87.2 males. The median income for a household in the city is $32,216, and the median income for a family is $37,879. Males have a median income of $32,244 versus $26,013 for females. The per capita income for the city is $16,181. 21.3% of the population and 17.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 31.6% are under the age of 18 and 11.0% are 65 or older.

Climate

\n* Average January high/low temperatures: 26°F/11°F (-3°C/-12°C)\n* Average July high/low temperatures: 79°F/62°F (26°C/17°C) Milwaukee's proximity to Lake Michigan causes a convection current to form mid-afternoon, resulting in the so-called lake effect, causing the temperatures to be warmer in the winter, and cooler in the summer. Also, the relative humidity in the summer is far higher than that of comparable cities at the same latitude, meaning that it feels hotter than it really is.

Major Industries

\n* Automobile parts\n* Beer\n* Machinery\n* Harley-Davidson

Places of Interest

\n* Summerfest \n* Milwaukee County Zoo\n* Discovery World Museum\n* Milwaukee Art Museum\n* Milwaukee Public Museum\n* Mitchell Park Domes\n* Miller Park\n* St. Joan of Arc Chapel\n* Captain Frederick Pabst Mansion

Airports

\n* General Mitchell International Airport

Colleges and Universities

\n* Alverno College\n* Marquette University\n* Medical College of Wisconsin\n* Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design\n* Milwaukee School of Engineering\n* University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee\n* Wisconsin Lutheran College

Sports

\n* Milwaukee Brewers (Baseball—MLB)\n* Milwaukee Bucks (Basketball—NBA)\n* Milwaukee Admirals (Ice hockey)\n* Milwaukee Wave (Soccer)

Newspapers

\n* Milwaukee Journal Sentinel\n* Shepherd Express

Neighborhoods

\n* Bay View\n* New Berlin\n* Whitefish Bay

Interstates

\n* Interstate 43\n* Interstate 94

Notable denizens

\n\n* Herbert Simon—Nobel laureate for advances in artificial intelligence (AI): the influence of Milwaukee even showed up in his professional work; as the inventor of bounded rationality, Simon showed that people work only as much as needed, and then adjust their priorities to other, perhaps more enjoyable things, an attitude which is very common in a city dedicated to gemuetlich pursuits and beer.\n* Jack Kilby—Nobel laureate, co-inventor of the integrated circuit\n* Golda Meir—prime minister of Israel\n

Other

\n* List of mayors of Milwaukee\n* Locally Edited Milwaukee Information\n* Milwaukee Links